Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday responded to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the Union Budget, stressing that the Budget is focused on small and medium enterprises, farmers and people working in rural areas amid global uncertainty. “Politically, if you want to criticize, you are welcome to do so, please do. But if you want to inform me of the facts on which you are basing your argument, I am willing to listen to them and respond to them,” the Union Finance Minister said. I am ready for it.”
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had earlier written in He accused the government of failing to address the immediate challenges facing the country and refusing to reform.
Responding to these comments, Sitharaman said, “I don’t know what reforms they are talking about. The economy and its fundamentals are strong. Global uncertainty is affecting many of our sectors, for which we have launched many different schemes for small and medium enterprises, textile industry, leather industry, people working in rural areas, farmers, value addition, women entrepreneurs and self-help entrepreneurs.”
The Finance Minister further said that these measures are aimed at providing support to the general public and ensuring that they are protected from external economic instability. “These are the ways in which we are reaching out to the common people to ensure that they do not have to face major changes in their lives due to any instability coming from outside,” Sitharaman said.
Sitharaman also touched on the political dimension of Gandhi’s criticism and said that political criticism is welcome, but it should be based on facts. Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi criticized the Union Budget 2026-2027, saying that it ignores the real crisis of India and refuses to take any steps towards reforms.
Gandhi wrote on
This morning, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026-27 in the Lok Sabha, her ninth consecutive Union Budget. Emphasizing that the Union Budget 2026-27 is inspired by “youth power” and based on the “Three Duties”, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday proposed to commission seven high-speed rail corridors, new dedicated freight corridors and 20 national waterways in the next five years.
The Union Budget has taken important steps to promote environment-friendly passenger transport, with a proposal to develop seven high-speed rail corridors between major urban and economic centres. These corridors will serve to connect development, thereby reducing travel time, reducing emissions and supporting regional development.
